Our View: Add MIS to the list Lenawee County can be grateful for

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2012 at 9:00 AM

There are many things to be thankful for as we approach our annual holiday ritual of assigning thanks for the abundant bounty we all have in this country. One of the things Lenawee County can all be thankful for is an amazing corporate citizen.

Most people think of auto racing when they think of Michigan International Speedway. Perhaps they thought of it again this week when Michigan native Brad Keselowski of the Penske Racing team won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

MIS deserves attention as well, though, for a variety of other reasons.First, its events have an enormous financial impact on our state and region. MIS remains Lenawee County’s largest taxpayer. Thousands of people drive and fly in to enjoy what is now the fastest NASCAR track in the nation. These visitors primarily are from a 300-mile radius and many are our friends from Canada.

Second, MIS became the fastest NASCAR track in the nation because it invested millions of dollars on “bricks and mortar” capital improvements to the track. Part of that investment is the new pavement that led to some of the most exciting and fastest NASCAR races ever. This capital investment enabled many local and regional businesses to put their people to work on their construction and improvement projects.

Third, MIS engages the services of dozens of local service groups, athletic teams, scout troops, dance programs, church youth groups, etc., to help before, during and after its races to enhance and improve the experience for our race fan guests. These groups generated $630,000 in donations (most of it cash) last year from MIS and its sister company, Americrown. That incredible amount is being poured back into our communities to make them stronger. This money will help ensure that area youth get the most out of their activities.

Finally, MIS and Americrown have created and developed the MIS Cares Foundation. It’s a relatively new foundation and falls under the umbrella of the NASCAR Foundation, a 501c3 charitable entity. Although the MIS Cares foundation is young, it’s making a huge impact on our community. The board recently announced the donation of $64,500 to local organizations this year. They include The Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee, Family Counseling and Children’s Services and Catherine Cobb Domestic and Sexual Assault Program, ProMedica Bixby Hospital Foundation’s Hillard Massage, Track and Explore (an educational partnership between Adrian College and MIS) and Columbia Middle School PTO. These and other regional organizations benefited from these cash donations.

This spirit of giving is something to be thankful for. True, MIS has tremendous resources. Yet perhaps we can all adopt its spirit of giving. MIS President Roger Curtis regularly pushes off credit to his terrific team executives and workers. Curtis' leadership and his team are something we can count on our “Thankful for” column this year.

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